I'm wanting to shoot my "new" old, 4th model merwyn at a NCOWS shoot this weekend. It has a lower loading gate than a Colt so the load 1, skip 1, load 4 doesn't come out right.And the Merwyns are built different to where you can't see the empty chamber from the topor sides. I've been messing with snap caps, and what seems to work is to load it, and leave on half cock and look at the front of the cylinder to see where the cartridges are and thenrotate to let the hammer down. Will this be safe/legal for me and the person watching theloading table to do. I will keep the barrel pointed in a safe direction and we will have to "peek"around at the front of the cylinder NOT THE BARREL

I shot with the Sweetwater regulators today, I shot working cowboy and tried the Merwin for the firsttime. It went pretty well until the last stage, after 3 shots it would not go off, at the unloading tablewe saw it wasn't indexing right. When I got home I cleaned it good, and I believe there was some gunkon the cylinder hand. Cleaned it good and it snaps right into place. Kind of cool shooting a 135 year old73 Winchester, and a 133 year old Merwyn Hulbert. Live History-Live NCOWS!!!!!

My Lunatic fringe shooting partner (the one got me into Snubbies) often shoots CAS Josey Wales. The guns he uses as "rifles" are a matched pair of Ruger Old Armies. Old Armies with 13 barrels and cartridge cylinders. The cartridge cylinders DO NOT have notches that show the cartridge rim or lack thereof.

At the loading table, he rotates the cylinder so the empty chamber is ready to index. Looking at the front of the cylinder from the side it is easy to verify the empty chamber. He then cycles the action to rotate the empty under the hammer. It's really quick and simple. No extra bits and pieces necessary.

Hey Bear Tooth Billy,When I shoot cap n' ball revolvers I have to peek into the front of the cylinder to see where the balls are to know which chambers to put caps on. I make sure the barrel is pointed in a safe direction and it hasn't been a problem. I can understand how someone would be alarmed if they saw someone looking into the front end of a gun, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

I never shot my Ruger Old Army in a competition that required only 5 loaded chambers. But if you cut off the part of a beat up old nipple where the cap goes, leave the square shoulders so it can be installed/removed and paint what's left of the nipple with some red nail polish to show you the location of the mty chamber. Just don't charge the red nipple chamber. Im wondering if a piece of copper wire could be soldered into a drilled out nipple and extend into the chamber to identify the unused chamber. The wire would extend to the end of the chamber. If the nipple is square then a single piece of brass could be made to thread into the nipple hole from the front end of the cylinder. If the nipple is at an angle then the soft copper wire would flex as the nipple was screwed in. Just thinking out loud. Don't know if this has been done before. Stay safe.

Can also put a white index mark (white paint pen) on a chamber to indicate the empty. Make the mark so it is clearly visible from rear and side. Show that one empty as you load the cartridges & the outside mark as you show hammer down on "empty".

I do this for C&B by putting the white stripe on the outside of the nipple. Saves me time at the loading table & no one needs to be concerned about peeking round the front (although I'm not personally concerned when done properly).

The paint comes off easily with most cleaners/lubes, yet stays put for a match or two. And, easy to re-apply.

Slim

Logged

Western Reenacting Dark Lord of SootLive Action Shooting Pistoleer ExtrordinaireFirearms Consultant Gun Cleaning SpecialistNCOWS Life Member NRA Life Member

Great tip, Slim.I know of some people who simply remove the nipple to indicate the empty chamber.

As you said, usually no problem peeking over the cylinder with the barrel pointed downrange to see loaded chambers.

RCJ

Logged

"I was born by the river in a little tent, and just like the river I've been running ever since." - Sam Cooke"He who will not look backward with reverence, will not look forward with hope." - Edmund Burke". . .freedom is not everything or the only thing, perhaps we will put that discovery behind us and comprehend, before it's too late, that without freedom all else is nothing."- G. Warren NutterNCOWS #L146GAF #275http://www.cascity.com/posseprofiles/River_City_John